


Realization

by 8ucky8arnes



Category: Descendants (2015)
Genre: F/M, Spoilers- Descendants (2015)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-05
Updated: 2015-08-05
Packaged: 2018-04-13 02:44:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4504653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/8ucky8arnes/pseuds/8ucky8arnes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This Mal and Ben's first date from Ben's point of view.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Realization

**Author's Note:**

> Warning for spoilers if you haven't seen the movie. Dialogue, characters, and situation are not my own. All rights belong to Disney. Enjoy!

Ben watched as Mal practically inhaled the jelly donut, a look of pure enjoyment shining in those beautiful green eyes. He didn’t hide the fact that he was staring at her and it wasn’t long before she caught him and arched a single eyebrow.

“Is this your first time? 

She swallowed, her hands not being able to stay still. “We don’t really date much on the Island, it’s more like…” She gets a contemplative look, her lips pursed, “…gang activity.” 

He laughed. “Um…I meant is this your first time eating a jelly donut?” 

She stopped licking the powder from her fingers and she gave him a hesitant smile. “Is it bad?” 

“You got a…” He reached out, he brushed his thumb across her lips her breath warm on his hand. “Just a…I mean yeah just do this.” He pulled back and licked his lips. 

She did the same with a small laugh. “Gone?” She leaned back on her hands when they both laughed. “Can’t take me anywhere I guess.” 

“You know, I’ve done all the talking…you turn. I really don’t know that much about you.” He leaned forward with a small smile. “Tell me something.” 

She sighed. “Well…I’m sixteen. I am an only child and I’ve only ever lived in one place.” 

“Me too…we have so much in common already.” His smile widened. 

“No.” She laughed. “Trust me…we do not.” There was a hint of bitterness in her tone when she replied. There was no mistaking the struggle as she forced a smile. “And now you’re gonna be King.” 

“Yeah.” He dropped his head, staring down at his hands. 

Her voice was concerned. “What?” 

“A crown doesn’t make you a King.” 

Mal gave him a teasing smile. “Well…if kind of does.” 

He smiled, still looking down. Well he looked up at her, he almost faltered. “No it…Your mother is Mistress of Evil…” She gave a sad smile. “And I have the poster parents for goodness, but we’re not automatically like them. We get to choose who we’re gonna be.” 

The expression on her face was one he had never seen, her green eyes full of sadness. She, like him, had spent her whole life under her mother’s shadow, trying to make her proud in any way she could. 

“And right now…” He leaned close enough to where the gold flecks within the green were visible. “I can look into your eyes and I can tell you’re not evil. I can see it.” 

She leaned back, immediately apprehensive. Her head tilted back, her lips in a tight line. 

Sensing she was about to close herself off, he looked over at the water. “Let’s go for a swim.” 

She was stunned. “What? Uh…right now?” She stammered. 

He stood up and started unbuttoning his shirt. “Yeah right now.” 

She let out a shaky laugh. “I’ll uh…just gonna stay here.” 

“No no no…come on.” He held out his hand. 

Her green eyes widening slightly before settling on the bowls of strawberries. She picked up one of the fruits. “I think I’m gonna stay behind and try a strawberry. I’ve literally never tried a strawberry before” She bit into it quickly to keep her mouth occupied, but that same blissful expression came on her face as she ate another one. 

"Don't eat all of them." 

She waved off his comment. "Okay." 

He couldn’t but laugh again as he finished unbuttoning his shirt and folded the rest of his clothes next to the chair. As he made his way up to the top of the rock, he watched her. This girl eating strawberries with a smile on her face could never be the evil offspring that everyone else saw her as. Since he first saw Mal, with her violet hair and pink lips and an expression of constant amusement, he knew she was different. He knew that she would challenge everyone’s expectations. 

She was leaning against one of the pillars. “Are those little crowns on your shorts?” 

He was glad there was distance so she couldn’t see his cheeks flush as he wiped his sweaty hands on the shorts. “Maybe.” 

She smiled, waving up at him. 

He waved back before letting out a playful growl and jumping into the Enchanted Lake below with a yell and a laugh. He heard her laugh as he hit the water and came up for air only to dive under again as he spotted a shimmering ball of crystals. 

A feeling that he could only describe as magic washed over him and he came up spluttering for a moment, crystal still in hand. He’d heard the stories of the water’s properties and it took him a second to realize that he had been under a spell and not just any spell…a love spell. Mal had put a spell on him? If he thought back, he’d wondered when he’d suddenly lost the will to control his thoughts and mouth around her… 

He ran a hand through his drenched hair. He should feel angry…should feel used, but he couldn’t. His mother had given his father a second chance after he’d locked her away and made her a prisoner in his own castle…His thoughts were interrupted as he listened to her singing, a haunting and sad tune that spoke of her struggle to understand the whispers of her heart…to understand her own feelings about what was right and what was wrong. His own heart broke a little at her assumption that he would leave once her magic had no hold over him…that any feelings he had were a product of a spell instead his heart…It took him a moment to realize that she ‘d been calling his name, followed by the sound of her jumping in the water. 

He started to slowly make his way over, until the splashing grew frantic. Diving under, he swam quickly to her. The water was crystal clear, allowing him to easily see her brightly colored dress as he gathered her into his arms and carried her to the ledge. 

After a moment, she slapped him on the shoulder. “You scared me!” 

“You can’t swim?” 

“No!” 

“You live on an island.” 

“With a barrier around it remember!?” She pulled strands of wet hair from her face. 

“And you still tried to save me…” 

She laughs. “Yeah. And do you thank me? No!” She pulled down the hem if her dress. “All I get is soaking wet!” She slaps her hands down on the stone. 

“And uh…this fancy rock.” He showed her the crystal covered rock he found. He hands it to her. “It’s yours. Make a wish a throw it back in the lake.” He smiled as she stared down at the rock. 

She threw it with a grunt and a splash, getting to her feet before turning away from him. She was embarrassed. He taken her for a strong willed person that didn’t crap from anyone and he’d just seen her nearly drown. She wasn’t too happy with him at the moment. Hastily following her, he grabbed his letterman’s jacket off the back of the chair and draped it over her shoulders. 

He pulled a folded up towel from the chaired and quickly ruffled his hair before laying it on the ground. He sat down next to her, watching a small shiver go through her. 

The sunlight filtering through the trees brought out lavender highlights in her dark violet hair and for what seemed like the millionth time, he wondered if her uniquely colored hair would feel as soft as her skin...he twirled a wet strand through his fingers 

"Oh Mal..." She looked up at him when he said her name. "I told you that I loved you. What about you? Do you love me?" 

She looked away from him, but he saw the guilt that flashed through her eyes. She shrugged, pain in her voice. "I don't know what love feels like." 

For a split second, Ben could recall something that Lonnie had said, about how sad it was that the villains didn't love their children. If this was true, then in some way he could understand why she looked away. She was raised by her mother, a woman who used intimidation and spell casting to get what she wanted. She didn't know anything else. 

Will you still be with me when the magic's all run out? 

That line kept echoing in his head as he watched her take a deep breath and he reached out, gently tilting her face towards his. He ran his thumb across the smooth skin of her cheek. He smiled. "Maybe I can teach you." 

Mal was trying to reach his expression, trying to find some truth to it. She appeared to reach her own conclusion and pulled away from him enough that he was no longer touching her... "Can you pass the strawberries?' 

"Yeah..." He reached behind him and handed her the crystal bowl. "Here you go." 

"Thanks." She bit into the strawberry, looking into the clear water of the Enchanted Lake with a distant expression. 

He would show her...he would show Mal that she was capable of love and being loved in return. She would learn that she wasn't Maleficent and that she didn't have to live in her mother's shadow anymore. He loved her...and one day, she would realize that the spell no longer had anything to do with it.


End file.
